Ravens defensive lineman says he discovered Tom Brady's flaw

Jan. 21, 2013
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New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady throws a pass during the first half of the NFL football AFC Championship football game against the Baltimore Ravens in Foxborough, Mass., Sunday, Jan. 20, 2013. / Stephan Savoia, AP

"He just throws it fast and he always gets good pockets," McPhee said the Ravens' victory. "But I tried to stay in front of him after watching film and knowing where he likes to go and how he likes to do it. So that was my best advantage, just get my hands up."

It worked. McPhee batted a Brady pass intended for tight end Aaron Hernandez halfway through the fourth quarter. Linebacker Dannell Ellerbe fielded the pop fly at Baltimore's 16-yard line, preventing New England from cutting into a 28-13 lead with the Ravens' second interception.

Perhaps to show the first time was no fluke, McPhee swatted another Brady pass later in the game.

"I just kept thinking, 'You keep throwing the ball low, we win the game,'" he said.

McPhee might have done it a few more times when these teams met in the third week of the season, but he was rushing the edge to make up for the absence of outside linebacker Terrell Suggs, who had torn his Achilles in the off-season.

Now Suggs is back, McPhee is helping man the middle, and the Ravens are headed to Super Bowl XLVII in New Orleans thanks in part to the keen eye of a 24-year-old, fifth-round pick out of Mississippi State.